The present research was conducted to clarify the relationships among social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and negative-reinforcement drinking motives among college students. Heavy drinking students (N = 316, 53.80% female) completed self-report measures of social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and drinking motives. Findings indicated that students higher in social anxiety consumed less alcohol but experienced more negative consequences. Moreover, the relationship between social anxiety and negative consequences was mediated by coping and conformity drinking motives in addition to alcohol consumption. In the context of social anxiety, the current research demonstrates the importance of examining problematic drinking as distinct constructs: alcohol consumption and negative consequences. Findings are also discussed in terms of implications for interventions with socially anxious students.

Sexually coercive experiences, heavy alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems occur at relatively high base rates in college populations. As suggested by the self-medication hypothesis, alcohol consumption may be a means by which one can reduce negative affect or stress related to experiences of sexual coercion. However, few studies have directly tested the hypothesis that coping motives for drinking mediate the relation between sexual assault and problem drinking behaviors, and no published studies have tested this in men. The current study tested this hypothesis using structural equation modeling in a sample of 780 male and female undergraduates. Results revealed that coping motives partially mediated the relation between sexual coercion and drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences. In addition, direct and indirect paths between sexual coercion and drinking were found for men whereas only indirect paths were found for women. Results provide support for self-medication models of drinking and suggest the importance of exploring gender differences in mechanisms for drinking.

ABSTRACT. Objective:The present research examined the role of self-determination theory in alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among college students. We were interested in evaluating the extent to which individual differences in self-determination (i.e., autonomous and controlled orientations) may infl uence problematic alcohol use and male-to-female IPV perpetration and the extent to which problem drinking may mediate the associations between self-determination and IPV perpetration. Method: A total of 313 incoming heterosexual, male freshman drinkers at a large northwestern university between the ages of 18 and 21 years completed self-report measures of autonomous and controlled orientations, alcohol use, and IPV perpetration as part of a larger social norms intervention study. Analyses evaluated the infl uence of autonomous and controlled orientations on alcohol consumption, associated problems, and IPV perpetration. Results: The proposed model fi t the data relatively well, χ 2 (11, N = 313) = 32.19, p = NS, root mean square error of approximation = .079, normed fi t index = .95, nonnormed fi t index = .93, comparative fi t index = .96. Both autonomous and controlled orientations had signifi cant direct and indirect effects on perpetration through alcohol consumption. Although the model fi t the data well, it explained a relatively small amount of variance in both alcohol consumption (5%) and perpetration (7%). Conclusions: Findings support previous research implicating the role of alcohol in IPV perpetration. Additionally, our fi ndings suggest that self-determination theory may be a useful heuristic in the examination of individual characteristics that promote alcohol consumption and IPV perpetration. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 71, 78-85, 2010)

Web-enhanced educational programs such as Blackboard (2003; http://www. blackboard.com/) provide opportunities for instructors to make supplemental course materials available to students. However, little research has investigated the effects of unlimited access to course lectures on achievement and attendance in traditional postsecondary classroom settings. Thus, we investigated the effect of lecture presentation availability on class attendance and academic performance in 2 sections of introductory psychology courses. Students with unlimited access to lecture presentations earned significantly higher grades than students who did not have similar access. Although we did not find significant differences in attendance between classes, attendance moderated the relation between class format and course grade. We discuss further implications and future research.Educators are increasingly using academic Web sites to supplement information presented in the classroom (Campus Computing Project, 2001). Research suggests that psychology faculty view the Internet as an effective teaching tool (Vodanovich & Piotrowski, 2001). Consistent with these findings, a recent national survey found that 72.1% of college seniors reported the use of presentation software in their classes, 67.4% reported the use of Web-enhanced educational programs in their classes, and 62.2% reported the use of dedicated Web sites in their classes (Katz, 2006). Although previous research has examined the educational efficacy of supplementing (

Objective-The present research examined the effect of alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of alcohol's effects on aggression in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among college students. We were interested in determining the extent to which these relationships differed across gender.Method-A total of 780 (57.3% female) incoming heavy drinking college freshmen who were between the ages of 18 and 25 years completed self-reported measures of IPV perpetration, alcohol use and problems, and alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of those expectancies as part of the baseline assessment for a larger social norms alcohol intervention study. Analyses evaluated the effect of alcohol aggression expectancies and subjective evaluations of those expectancies on IPV perpetration.Results-Results indicated that problem drinking was positively associated with IPV perpetration for those who were lower (β =.32, p <.001) versus those who were higher (β =.07, p = NS) in alcohol aggression expectancies. Among men, there was a significantly stronger relationship between problem drinking and IPV perpetration among those who evaluated alcohol's effects on aggression more favorably (β =.41, p <.001) versus less favorably (β =.11, p = NS). Among women, there was not a significantly stronger relationship between problem drinking and IPV perpetration at less favorable (β =.17, p <.05) versus more favorable (β =.11, p <.06) evaluations of alcohol's effects on aggression.Conclusions-Findings suggest that, in understanding IPV perpetration, it may not be sufficient to evaluate expected alcohol effects without also including whether those effects are viewed as good or bad. Findings also suggest that the relationship between alcohol problems and IPV perpetration may be stronger and more straightforward for men than for women.Perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a growing concern on college campuses across the nation. Approximately one third of students have experienced violence in their dating relationships in the past year, with male and female students reporting relatively equal rates of perpetration (Straus, 2006;White and Koss, 1991). Thus, research has begun to examine the personality, situational, and contextual factors involved in perpetration of IPV in the dating relationships of college students (Luthra and Gidycz, 2006; O'Leary, 1989, 1996). Alcohol use specifically has been associated with perpetration of IPV in college populations.